Flying saucer toys have been in common usage for many years. Such toys in general comprise a circular disk having a dome-shaped body with a downwardly extending rim. A major manufacturer of such toys is Wham-O manufacturing company of San Gabriel, Calif. which sells such toys under various United States Trademarks, including "Wham-O" and "Frisbee" and holds various patents including U.S. Pat. No. 3,359,678.
Flying saucer toys generally have a relatively thich downwardly extending rim and a relatively thin section above the rim so as to have the greatest moment of inertia by placing a relatively large percentage of the weight in the outer rim and using a relatively thin, flexible membrane across the rim to trap air underneath the disk as it flies through the air.
Various modifications of the basic flying saucer disk design have been made, including such as are disclosed in U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,117,626; 4,255,893; 4,143,483; and 4,196,540.
Some flying saucers have been made of an inflatable type such as that disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 2,864,201 and French Pat. No. 1,603,662.
Such flying saucers are generally designed for flying through the air. To maximize air flight they have a generally dome-shaped body in most instances to trap a cushion of air under the saucer, but when such saucers strike a fluid surface such as on water or snow the saucer edge enters the fluid, bringing the flight to an abrupt end. The above U.S. Pat. No. 2,864,201 to Leise describes an inflatable discus intended for water sports, but it is designed as a very heavy flying saucer which is described to weigh approximately 2 pounds in a 12 inch diameter size and 4 pounds 6.4 ounces in a 24 inch diameter size in order to substantially duplicate a standard discus used since ancient times in sporting events. The heavy discus designed by Leise does not lend itself to either good flight characteristics because of it not having the ability to trap a cushion of air nor does it lend itself to good skipping characteristics on water due to its large size and weight.
It is therefore a primary object of this invention to provide a lightweight flying saucer toy which is so constructed as to provide good flight characteristics in the air as well as the ability to skip on a fluid surface, particularly water and snow.
It is a further object of this invention to provide a flying saucer which is capable of good flight characteristics and skipping on a fluid surface such as water and snow and which provides a convenient design for grasping and throwing the saucer.
It is a further object of this invention to provide a flying saucer insert which may be distributed separately from flying saucers and which may be readily combined with conventional flying saucers such as those manufactured by Wham-O manufacturing company of San Gabriel, Calif. so as to adapt those conventional flying saucers into saucers which retain good flight characteristics but which also have the ability to be skipped on a fluid surface such as water or snow.